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Making the round of 16 won't be enough for Team USA in 2018

By John Meyer

The Denver Post

Posted:
07/02/2014 08:27:09 PM MDT

With 15 minutes left in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-time loss to Belgium that eliminated Team USA, 19-year-old Julian Green made his World Cup debut. A product of Bayern Munich and son of an American serviceman, Green scored the first time he touched the ball, 77 seconds after entering the match.

With one flick of his right foot, Green gave the U.S. hope to win a game it seemed destined to lose, and hope for the future, too. Green's goal trimmed Belgium's 2-0 lead in half and triggered a wild final 12 minutes full of furious American attacks that had Belgium coach Marc Wilmots breathing heavy sighs of exasperation until the final whistle.

"I think the whole stadium thought the U.S. was going to tie it up," said former Rapids great Marcelo Balboa, who covered the game for Univision. "The way Belgium dropped off (tactically), the way Belgium was exhausted. In the stadium it was electric, man. The way it was going, Belgium was sitting so far back and the U.S. was pushing them deeper, you felt the U.S. was going to tie it up."

The equalizer never came. A U.S. team that captured more hearts back home than any of its predecessors is left to think about what might have been. If Chris Wondolowski had scored on a near-miss just before the end of regulation time with the score 0-0. ... If Clint Dempsey could have buried an opening he got off a free kick late in extra time. ... And what if the U.S. had been more aggressive in the first 90 minutes?

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"I wish they would have attacked more, instead of sitting back," Balboa said. "I thought they sat back a lot. They had a few counterattacks, and Wondolowski could have finished the game off in the last minute.

"The way they played the last 15 minutes, I wish they would have let the horses go sooner."

And it must be said: Goalkeeper Tim Howard made 18 saves — that's a crazy number — with many bordering on the miraculous.

So another World Cup ends with the U.S. being ousted in the round of 16, but with hope for what the U.S. can achieve four years from now in Russia. There are reasons for optimism, starting with Green.

Green could have played for Germany — which would have meant waiting at least four years to play in the World Cup — or the U.S. He chose the U.S., joining the team in April. Coach Juergen Klinsmann put him on the World Cup roster despite his youth and inexperience, and many thought Green got the roster spot that should have gone to Landon Donovan .

Green came through when he got his chance, running by defender Toby Alderweireld and one-timing a pass from Michael Bradley into the net.

"A minute and a half into your debut, you score a goal and give your team a chance again," Balboa said. "He showed that he didn't have nerves, he made a great run, he got behind (the defense). It's a great sign for the future. That's what you want. You want to see what the kid can do. It was a glimpse of what he can do."

DeAndre Yedlin, 20, had to come into the game after defender Fabian Johnson went out with an injury early in the game. That was reason for concern for U.S. fans, but Yedlin played well, defending and attacking.

"The kid shows that he's got confidence, he showed he has great pace and he was dangerous," Balboa said. "He was very dangerous down the right-hand side. It just goes to show the future of this team with Yedlin, Julian Green, Omar (Gonzalez), (Matt) Besler. It shows the depth this team has. The future of this team looks pretty darned good."

That's the message to take from what we saw Tuesday. Next time, making the round of 16 won't be good enough.

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